Promise
by VioletSorceress
Summary: AU. Tokka Week. Fairy tales do have their minor setbacks. . .


**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Avatar: The Last Airbender**_**. All characters and events are a trademark of the creators and of Nickelodeon.**

**Tokka Week Day Seven - Prompt Seven: Promise**

**(Aww, it's the last day! -cries-)**

* * *

"_You'll never leave me?" the girl whispers, clutching the overcoat of the man she is with. The rain patters against the leaves of the tree she is in, and he wraps his arms around her small frame._

"_I love you, Toph. I'll never do anything to hurt you," he murmurs softly—cooing almost—into her ear. "Never." He kisses her forehead tenderly._

"_Promise?" Such a childish question, really, but it would haunt her for the rest of her life._

"_Yeah."_

_--_

Somewhere, in a land just like in all the storybooks, resides a married couple. This happily married couple lives like the fairy tale stories depict them to live—forever in bliss. This bliss is enjoyed by a Warrior and by his Princess.

_(The Warrior's name was Sokka. His princess was named Toph.)_

However, unlike the fairy tales, it wasn't love at first sight for the two. Previous to the Princess, the Warrior had been in love with another princess as well as another warrior. Previous to the Warrior, the Princess had but one other prince.

For the Warrior, his first love was destroyed when his other princess sacrificed her life for her people.

_(Her name was Princess Yue. When the time came for her to choose between duty and love, she chose duty. Yue became the Moon Spirit.)_

Heartbroken, he found his other warrior. Their relationship was perfect until the Warrior found that he had another love.

_(The other warrior's name was Suki. She and Sokka truly did love each other. But it wasn't meant to be.)_

The Princess, on the other hand, had it more complicated. She might have really loved her prince as they were close friends since her arrival back at her palace.

_(Toph's prince has no name, only because of his inability to take care of something really fragile—her heart.)_

The Princess and her prince were supposed to get married. He promised her that he would never hurt her. That he would always be there for her. That he loved her.

_(But when he disappeared—to where is unknown—Toph found all of his promises—as well as anyone else's promises—to be all lies.)_

The Princess's heart was ripped in two that night. And she vowed to never love again.

Despite this minor setback, the Princess met up with the Warrior again.

_(Toph and the Sokka had been friends before. They had been best friends.)_

And, in spite of herself, the Princess found herself falling in love with the Warrior again.

_(Toph had always harbored a crush on Sokka. She never told him her feelings for fear of rejection.)_

And the Warrior found himself falling the Princess love with her, too.

_(To Sokka, Toph had always been 'just a little sister.' But as he spent more time with her, his feelings began to change. And so ended his relationship with Suki.)_

So, finally, the Warrior mustered up the courage to ask for the Princess's hand in marriage.

_("So. . . ." The blue-clad warrior leaned in closer to the emerald princess, his lips grazing her ear. The girl giggled and playfully punched his arm before wrapping her arms around his waist. _

"_So. . . ." she laughed._

"_So. . . Will you. . . marry me?" he blurted out.)_

But the Princess's fears from her love with the prince held her back.

(_All the previous affection she had been showing toward him dropped from her like contaminated meat. "I. . . I. . . ." She turned away from him, staring at the ground. "I can't." _

"_Come on, Toph! I've asked you at least nine times," Sokka pleaded. _

"_I just can't," she whispered, voice hoarse._

"_Why?" he demanded. "I love you and you love me. We should get married straight away!"_

"_No!"_

"_Why, Toph? Why?")_

She wasn't sure if the Warrior would be the same—making a promise and then breaking it.

So the Princess simply refused every time, giving him no explanation as to her behavior.

After eighteen rejections, the Warrior almost gave up.

_(Why did Sokka even bother? Toph was probably toying with his emotions. She acted like she loved him one moment and during the next she would be ignoring him completely.)_

But he noticed her old betrothal necklace locked up in a drawer.

_(Actually, Sokka was snooping through her locked drawer when he found the necklace.)_

At first, the Warrior thought it meant that the Princess had another relationship. When he spoke to her about it, though, the Princess finally explained her hesitation to marrying the Warrior.

_("I was supposed to _marry_ him, Sokka. It may have started as an arranged marriage, but I think I loved him," she felt tears coming on, but held them back for the sake of her reputation. "The night before our wedding, we were sitting on the branches of one of the trees in my parents' gardens. He told me that he loved me and he would never hurt me. He _promised_ me. And then he broke it and ripped my heart out in one shot.")_

To this, the Warrior made a promise of his own.

_("Toph, _I_ promise_ you _that I will never hurt you like that guy did, and that I'll always be there for you. I'll always love you.")_

So, after noting the truth of his statement, the Princess finally agreed to marrying him.

_("Yes. I will marry you.")_

And now they live their fairy tale with a happily ever after.

_(No previous relationships were ever going to get in their way.)_

* * *

**XD I really really really can't believe that Tokka Week's over. It was tear-jerking, heart-wrenching, happiness! I loved it!**

**So I truly thank you, both Twilight Rose2 and Kyoshi7879, for making this happen. 'Twas fun. ;)**

**-Sophia**


End file.
